For Black women, it can be difficult to find a great hairstylist. It’s even more challenging if you’re looking for someone to style naturally textured hair also while maintaining its health.
To help combat bias and inequality in the beauty industry, TRESemmé recently launched a new Texture Certification Program that will train and certify licensed hair professionals nationwide in treating, cutting, and styling textured hair.
“I am extremely passionate about textured hair care and have dedicated my career to educating stylists and consumers on how to truly care for textured hair types,” said Diane Da Costa, celebrity stylist, author, and CEO of SimpleeBEAUTIFUL who is the lead instructor for the Texture Certification Program. “Partnering with TRESemmé not only brings awareness to this industry-wide issue of hair discrimination but will introduce this much-needed skillset to more stylists nationwide.”
This program comes in response to efforts of counteracting the disparity in the cosmetology training process around styling and caring for Black hair. According to TRESemme’, no state cosmetology licensing departments require foundational understanding of textured and coily hair care.
After collecting responses from a nationwide survey of consumer clients and stylists, the program is in direct response to TRESemmé’s Hair Bias Report that revealed 86% of Black women reported facing challenges in finding consistent, quality hair care at salons. Experiences ranged from difficulty finding a stylist who can care for their type or texture of hair, to facing bias and discrimination in the salon chair. It was also reported that 65% of professional stylists wish they had more training on textured and coily hair (a number that jumps to 70% among white stylists).
“As a leader in hair care, we have a responsibility to use our influence and platform to make a difference and bring awareness to the lack of certified textured hair care training in the industry,” said Jessica Grigoriou, Brand Director, TRESemmé said in a news release. “Every woman, regardless of hair type, deserves to have access and feel confident that they will receive quality hair care at every appointment so they can express themselves authentically, and we want to do our part to increase inclusivity in the beauty industry.”
Registration for the program opens on Wednesday, April 27 and closes on Tuesday, May 31. Seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis for qualifying stylists: